September 13th, 2020

WELCOME MAVERICKS!

 

Welcome to the 2020-2021 school year!!  It is our absolute pleasure to be sharing in the experience of continuing to build community with you -our partners- in your child’s education.

There are so many questions to answer as we enter into this unique circumstance that has us starting in a much different manner than normal.  We will continue to try to answer these questions for you through School Day and on our website as we proceed through the next few weeks.  A few that we know will be on your mind right away will be…

 

Safety protocols…

It is imperative that we provide multiple layers of protection for your child while they are at school. 

  •  This starts at home with the self screening tool which needs to be reviewed every morning prior to coming to school. Daily Screening
  •  It is imperative that you have a plan in place to have your child picked up during the school day if they exhibit any of the symptoms from the self screening checklist.  We have no choice but to err on the side of caution and if your child is not well they will come down to the office and wait for pick up in a separate location supervised by staff. 
  •  Wearing a mask – anyone coming on to school property needs a mask.  This means parents, children, staff and community members.
    • On Monday your child,  if in primary, will be provided with two cloth masks to bring home and if in Junior/Intermediate, one mask at this time.  There are 5 cloth masks allocated to each child in our building and we will disperse them as needed.  Students are welcome to wear their own mask from home.  If you wish them to wear one from home – please send an extra as they should change this mask if soiled. We encourage you to wash these masks when they come home prior to them wearing them again.
    • All staff will be wearing masks at all times and face shields when they are within 2m of a child.

 

  • We have created schedules to allow for regular hand washing and sanitizing throughout the day.

 

  • Physical distancing – the classroom look has changed since you have been here last – the students from gr 1-8 will be sitting in individual desks which are spaced out evenly throughout the classroom.  Students will remain with their cohort – or class- throughout the entire day and will only be accessing the homeroom classroom, outside, and perhaps the gym when it is rainy outside.  Each of these areas allow for physical distancing for your children. 

 

  • In an effort to limit items travelling back and forth between home and school -the regular home reading program will not start in September – please stay tuned for further details regarding this.  The library will not be open for book sign out until later in September once a process has been established. You should know that student work will be sent home and Public Health would recommend that any paper travelling between two sites or different people should sit for 72 hours – the Ministry of Education recommends 7 days.  

 

  •  We will be asking that parents, visitors, and community members not come into the school at this time – this is such a challenge for us as we love having our community into our building and we desperately want this to feel like the centre of the community….. But unless you have an appointment booked previously we would ask that if you are picking up your child you buzz at the door and we will bring your child to you.  

 

  •  When you drop off your child in the morning – if it is age appropriate and your child is independent enough – we ask that you say goodbye off school property and they make their way to their line independently – we will get to practice this over the next few days with smaller groups.

 

  •  Please have your child arrive close to the bell time of 9:10 am so that it is easier to provide a physically distant start to our day by being able to supervise them in their designated spot.  It will take a while to have the children enter the building as we need to sanitize prior to entering and enter in a physically distant manner.  Please have your child dress for the weather as this will be a slow entry process that only starts at 9:10 am no matter whether it is raining or not.

 

  •  If your child arrives late and their class has already entered – please have them come to the front door where they will be greeted by one of our wonderful secretarial staff.  That staff member will sign the child in for you, provide the child an opportunity to sanitize their hands and then will send your child in to proceed to their class. 

 

We are encouraging families to walk to school unless your child takes the bus – parking is a huge challenge and with the increased staff at our Child Care and school there are not even enough spots in the lot for people who work here.  The parking lot will be closed to parents for drop off and pick up – if you need to drive your child please park on one of the side streets and take a path into our playground area.  

 

It is such a challenge starting the year with all of these boundaries in place – but it is necessary in this unprecedented time.  We do want you to know that beneath the masks and shields there is an incredible caring staff who cannot wait to see your children again or to greet them for the first time if you are new to our community.  

 

This is a school whose vision resonates with all who work here…

 

Bringing community together to address the needs of the whole child to prepare them for success as global citizens.  

 

We are so excited to see your children tomorrow or Tuesday!!!

(remember last names from A-L tomorrow and M-Z on Tuesday!)

 

And remember that….

As Mavericks we are….

Mindful, Motivated and Make a Difference!!